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pack

The pack command bundles a repository into a single AI‑friendly artifact.

ctx3 pack <path>

It produces:

  • A directory structure section
  • A files section containing full file contents

This format is ideal for:

  • LLM prompting
  • Repository uploads
  • Offline analysis

output sample:

<directory_structure>
src/
  lib.rs
Cargo.toml
</directory_structure>

<files>
This section contains the contents of the repository's files.

<file path="Cargo.toml">
[package]
name = "epoch_rng"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2024"

[dependencies]
</file>

<file path="src/lib.rs">
use std::time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};

...

impl Default for EpochRng {
    fn default() -> Self {
        Self::new()
    }
}
</file>

</files>
Packed 2 files (0 skipped), 1690 bytes

Flags​

  • --binary <skip|hex|base64>
    How to include binary files in output.
    Default: skip (omit binaries)

  • --compact
    Removes extra blank lines between sections and files for a more condensed output.

  • --concurrency <int>
    Number of concurrent file reads.
    0 uses the number of CPU cores automatically.

  • --format <xml|md|txt> / -f <xml|md|txt>
    Output format to use.
    Default: xml

  • --ignore <globs>
    Comma-separated glob patterns to ignore files or directories.
    These take precedence over .gitignore.

  • --include <globs>
    Comma-separated glob patterns to include files or directories.
    Applied after ignores.

  • --max-file-bytes <int>
    Skip any single file larger than this many bytes.
    0 means unlimited.

  • --max-total-bytes <int>
    Stop packing once total content size exceeds this many bytes.
    0 means unlimited.

  • --output <path> / -o <path>
    Write output to file.
    Default: prints to stdout.

  • --redact <regex>
    Comma-separated regex patterns to redact sensitive or unwanted content from files.

  • --respect-gitignore
    Respect .gitignore rules at the repository root.
    Default: true

  • --section <all|structure|files>
    Choose which sections to output:

    • all: Print everything (structure and files)
    • structure: Print directory structure only
    • files: Print file contents only

  • --sort <paths|ext>
    Control deterministic ordering of output:

    • paths: Sort by file paths
    • ext: Sort by file extensions

  • -h, --help
    Show help and flag summary for pack command.

Flags Example Usage​

Pack repository, skip binary files, write XML output to file

ctx3 pack . --binary skip -o packed.xml

Only include .go files, ignore vendor folder, compact output

ctx3 pack . --include "**/*.go" --ignore "vendor/**" --compact -o output.xml

Output only directory structure in Markdown format

ctx3 pack . --section structure --format md

Enforce size limits and redact secrets

ctx3 pack . --max-file-bytes 200000 --max-total-bytes 1000000 --redact "SECRET_KEY,token"

Flag Precedence Notes​

  • --ignore globs override .gitignore.
  • --include globs have highest precedence; they select files after ignore/glob filtering.
  • .git and node_modules are always excluded from traversal.
  • Recursive globs use ** (e.g., **/*.go).